Apparatus to preserve and transport biological samples at cryogenic conditions

Abstract

A specimen transporter includes a housing and a lid attached so as to enable a transition of the specimen transporter from a closed configuration, in which an internal cavity of the housing is thermally isolated from an exterior of the specimen transporter, to an open configuration, in which the internal cavity is accessible via an opening of the housing. The specimen transporter includes a thermal shunt positioned within the internal cavity so as to evenly distribute heat within the internal cavity. The specimen transporter includes a carrier to support one or more specimen containers each carrying a respective biological sample to be transported.

1 . A specimen transporter comprising:
 a housing including a floor and a sidewall, the sidewall extending from the floor toward an opening, the opening defined by a mating surface of the housing;   a lid coupleable to the housing such that a mating surface of the lid and the mating surface of the housing cooperatively close the opening thereby preventing ingress to or egress from an internal cavity of the housing formed by the floor and the sidewall; and   a thermal shunt coupled to the sidewall and positioned within the internal cavity,   wherein the sidewall includes a first material, and the thermal shunt includes a second material that has a higher thermal capacity than the first material given equal volumes of the first material and the second material.   
     
     
         2 . The specimen transporter of  claim 1  wherein the housing has a first height measured from the floor to the opening along a direction perpendicular to the floor, the thermal shunt has a second height measured along the direction perpendicular to the floor;
 and the second height is less than the first height and greater than fifty percent of the first height. 
 
     
     
         3 . The specimen transporter of  claim 2  wherein the second height is less than the first height and greater than seventy-five percent of the first height. 
     
     
         4 . The specimen transporter of  claim 3  wherein the second height is less than the first height and greater than ninety percent of the first height. 
     
     
         5 . The specimen transporter of  claim 2  wherein the housing includes an offset extending from the floor towards the opening along the direction perpendicular to the floor, the offset has a maximum height with respect to the floor measured along the direction perpendicular to the floor, the thermal shunt has a minimum separation from the floor measured along the direction perpendicular to the floor, and the minimum separation is less than the maximum height. 
     
     
         6 . The specimen transporter of  claim 5 , further comprising:
 a carrier including a frame and at least one through hole extending through the frame, each of the at least one through holes sized to receive a specimen container,   wherein the carrier is supported within the internal cavity by the offset.   
     
     
         7 . The specimen transporter of  claim 6  wherein a first minimum distance measured between the floor and the carrier along the direction perpendicular to the floor is greater than a second minimum distance measured between the floor and the thermal shunt along the direction perpendicular to the floor. 
     
     
         8 . The specimen transporter of  claim 6  wherein a surface of the thermal shunt includes a first non-planar shape, and a surface of the carrier includes a second non-planar shape that corresponds to the first non-planar shape such that alignment of the first and second non-planar shapes facilitates alignment of the carrier within the internal cavity. 
     
     
         9 . The specimen transporter of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 a handle rotatably coupled to the housing such that the handle is rotatable relative to the housing about an axis of rotation,   wherein the axis of rotation is distanced from the floor by a first distance measured along the direction perpendicular to the floor, and the first distance is less than a second distance measured between the floor and a point on the thermal shunt farthest from the floor along the direction perpendicular to the floor.   
     
     
         10 . The specimen transporter of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a hinge that couples the lid to the housing such that the lid is rotatable relative to the housing about an axis of rotation of the hinge,   wherein the hinge is mounted on a rear surface of the housing, and the thermal shunt is mounted on a portion of the sidewall that is closest to the rear surface.   
     
     
         11 . The specimen transporter of  claim 10  wherein the sidewall is an inner sidewall, the rear surface is part of an outer sidewall, and at least a portion of the inner sidewall is spaced from the outer sidewall by a gap. 
     
     
         12 . The specimen transporter of  claim 1  wherein at least a portion of the lid is transparent. 
     
     
         13 . The specimen transporter of  claim 1  wherein the thermal shunt is a metal plate. 
     
     
         14 . The specimen transporter of  claim 1  wherein the thermal shunt is a plate formed from aluminum 6061-T6. 
     
     
         15 . The specimen transporter of  claim 1  wherein the second material has a higher density than the first material. 
     
     
         16 . The specimen transporter of  claim 15  wherein the first material has a higher specific heat than the second material. 
     
     
         17 . A method of collecting a biological specimen, the method comprising:
 positioning the biological specimen on a surface of a specimen container;   filling at least a portion of an internal cavity of a specimen transporter with a coolant thereby at least partially submerging a thermal shunt positioned within the internal cavity;   positioning the specimen container with the biological specimen within the internal cavity; and   at least partially submerging the specimen container in the coolant.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17  wherein the coolant is liquid nitrogen. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising:
 supporting the specimen container with a carrier that is positioned within the internal cavity by inserting a portion of the specimen container through a through hole extending through a frame of the carrier.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising:
 abutting the carrier with an offset that extends from a floor of the housing such that a gap is formed between the carrier and the floor,   wherein the floor forms a bottom boundary of the internal cavity.   
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20  wherein abutting the carrier with the offset positions a portion of the thermal shunt within the gap. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising:
 positioning a second biological specimen on a surface of a second specimen container;   positioning the second specimen container with the second biological specimen within the internal cavity; and   at least partially submerging the second specimen container in the coolant.   
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising:
 transitioning the specimen transporter to a closed configuration in which a lid of the specimen transporter blocks an opening of the internal cavity thereby thermally isolating the internal cavity from an external environment surrounding the specimen transporter.   
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23 , further comprising:
 after transitioning the specimen transporter to the closed configuration, transporting the specimen transporter from a first location at which the biological specimen was collected to a second location at which the biological specimen will be stored at cryogenic temperatures.